In response to the recent correspondence of Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi with Dr. Ahmad Tayyeb, the respectable Sheik of Al-Azhar University, he responded in a respectful letter, thanking his eminence for his letter and emphasizing the significance of protecting the unity among the Muslims people.
The letter reads:
Religious conflicts in our time is not restricted to intellectual discord; rather, it has turned in to war, massacre and bloodshed that have inflicted both Sunnites and Shiites, and have only benefitted the enemies of Islam who have always conspired against Muslims.
Sheik Ahmad Tayyeb continues: “Politicians exploit such sectarian conflicts to promote massacre, to meddle with other people’s affairs, and to disrespect the figures and the religious sanctities of various religions”
Referring to the necessity of dialogue among the scholars of various Islamic sects, he states: “I have repeatedly emphasized the need for a meeting to be held between the most prominent Shiite and Sunnite scholars through which to counteract the dangers that threaten us all. At the end of this meeting there must be an explicit and clear fatwa issued to strictly prohibit the killing of Shiites by Sunnites and the killing of Sunnites by Shiites”.
Finally, Sheik Ahmad Tayyeb hoped that Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi would also attend this meeting.
